


A Little Heart Hope

by synchronicities



Series: So No One Told You [1]
Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-22
Packaged: 2019-08-05 18:50:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16373087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synchronicities/pseuds/synchronicities
Summary: The heating on their floor is busted again, but they make it work.





	A Little Heart Hope

**Author's Note:**

> clearing out my oneshot WIPs haha
> 
> this is...........nothing really, i just wanted to write the main 4 as neighbors in an apartment that is """literal torture ;) ;) ;)""" to live in....
> 
> Title from Oh Wonder.

The heating on their floor is busted again.

“You’d think,” Eleanor starts, before pausing. She’s sitting cross-legged on Chidi’s couch, bundled up in two of his warmest blankets and sipping from a mug of his prized Singaporean tea, which – Eleanor doesn’t even _drink_ tea. “You’d think that for all the cute–” air quotes here, “– _vintage prep interior design_ in this building, we’d get better heating, but apparently _that_ was too much to ask, and now we have to suffer East Coast winters?”

Chidi levels her with a Look, arching one eyebrow. He likes to think he’s gotten used to her dramatics. “You can raise it with Michael if you’d like,” he says, taking a pointed sip of his own mug.

Eleanor’s face falls. “ _Ugh_ , no, you know I _hate_ upsetting him.” She sighs, taking another sip and edging closer to the space heater. “But, you know – I’m an Arizona baby. There’s no cold in Arizona.”

He doesn’t even bother reminding her that he was born in Senegal _and_ lived in Australia, and turns back to his laptop. Academic journals don’t read themselves. But instead of the laser focus he normally attains when working, his gaze keeps being drawn to Eleanor, blankets around her shoulders, napping on his couch.

* * *

 

In the end, it’s Tahani who brings it up, after she knocks on Chidi’s door wearing an exaggeratedly poofy white winter coat he vaguely remembers from her Snapchats from Venice Fashion Week. “I wasn’t aware there was a _sleepover_ ,” she says, her lip curling. “I would’ve asked Vivienne Westwood to send over pajamas along with this coat. Shipping’s expensive, you know.”

“I’m sure it was a hardship, hot stuff,” Eleanor shoots back drily. She’s smiling, though.

“Eleanor is mooching off my wi-fi,” Chidi explains placatingly, gesturing to Eleanor’s forgotten laptop on the floor. She’s picked up another one of his books – _Either/Or_ , Kierkegaard – and is flipping through it.

“Yes, I can see that,” Tahani replies, her voice irrepressibly fond. She uncrosses her arms and takes a seat in Chidi’s second favorite chair, straight-backed, crossed ankles, and all. “In any case, my dears, I was wondering if it was just _my_ unit that’s suffering from… _broken heating_ , is it?”

Eleanor’s lip twitches and Chidi raises his eyebrows at her, a quick, silent warning to _not_ joke about the Al-Jamils’ sprawling London estate. She catches his gaze and rolls her eyes, breaking out into a grin. “Nope. The entire floor again. Us fab four. The awesome foursome.”

Chidi can’t help but crack a smile at that.

“Oh, _dear_ – you know,” Tahani says, tipping her head in the I’m-about-to-namedrop-someone-fabulous way, “When it’s too cold, I always ask myself – _how would my dear friend Leonardo DiCaprio feel if he heard me complain_? I mean, I saw him rehearsing with the bear, it was quite the harrying experience–” She trails off, blinking at Chidi and Eleanor, understanding dawning on her face. “I suppose you want me to tell Michael about it,” she says.

“No,” Chidi says, at the same time Eleanor replies, “Yeah.”

Both women turn to look at him, and he shrinks.

“Yes,” he says. “B-but only if you want to, we don’t want to _force_ you into it–”

“Oh, nonsense, my darlings,” Tahani cuts in, back to plummy, spirited form in the blink of an eye. “I will get our heating back!”

* * *

 

Janet waves at Tahani from where he’s leaning over the reception desk. “Hello, Tahani!”

Jason brightens when he sees her. “Tahani!”

Something not-quite-right curdles at the sight of Jason’s easy smile, but Tahani powers through. Beyonce would want her to. “Good day, Janet,” she greets, dipping her head prettily. “Jason.”

“Can I touch your coat?” Jason asks with no hesitation.

Tahani looks visibly at war with herself, but eventually reaches out an arm. “Oh, help yourself.” Jason grins at her and runs his fingers along the fur.

Janet turns a beaming smile in her direction. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

Tahani lowers her arm, watching Jason’s face fall out of the corner of her eye. “Yes, Janet – I don’t suppose you can tell me where Michael is at the moment? There’s a concern about the heating on our floor.”

“Oh, yes. Michael is in a meeting, but he told me to inform you that everything is under control.” Janet’s peachy smile wavers the tiniest bit when Jason turns his attention back to her.

“Oh, good. I was wondering why my apartment was so cold all of a sudden. _Tita_ Evelyn never mentioned what to do if that happened. It’s never like this in Florida.”

Tahani glances at him. Jason is officially in Brooklyn because he’s apartment-sitting for an aunt on an ever-extending European vacation, and this has gone on long enough that Chidi recently suggested that Jason get a job. Tahani’s only feeling about that that had been odd regret that her UNICEF contract might end before that happens. She thinks Eleanor had realized that, too, and imagines her laughing at Tahani’s misery.

She waves that train of thought – Jason’s dimples, Eleanor’s brilliant smile – away. There will be time enough to think of that. “Yes, and by under control, will it be back later tonight? You know, there’s a _lot_ of work to do here–”

“I repeat, everything is under control,” Janet interrupts, her smile a bit too fixed, her eyes a bit too blank.

It’s a little unsettling. Tahani blinks at her.

Janet laughs suddenly, her face relaxing, and Tahani lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Don’t worry, Tahani, I was just kidding. The maintenance workers are on it, it’ll be on again in a few hours. In the meantime, you are welcome to stay in the lobby.”

There’s another too-long pause before Tahani regains her bearings. “Thank you,” she offers pitifully.

Janet nods, turning back to her computer. “I’ve been told I had a very good robot impression in college.”

“I’m going to play Flappy Bird,” Jason announces.

Tahani huffs.

* * *

 

Jason is on his 33rd game of Flappy Bird when Mr. Michael approaches him in the lobby.

“Mr. Michael!” he greets his temporary superintendent, not looking up from the game because hessoclosetothehighscore and – aw, dang.

“Hello, Jason,” Mr. Michael says, and he sounds tired. “May I sit with you for a bit?”

Jason looks at him. “Sure, dawg. Something up?” Mr. Michael looks worried, and that’s not a good sign. Mr. Michael knows everything.

“It’s just difficult, keeping it all running,” Mr. Michael replies. He wrings his hands and continues talking. “And Shawn Costner – you know him–”

“The feelings guy,” says Jason.

“Yeah, the guy who _owns this building_ ,” says Mr. Michael. “He’s on the city council, and we’ve been having disagreements about what to do with it.”

“Oh yeah, it’s cold in our floor again,” Jason pipes up.

Mr. Michael looks conflicted. “And that.” He sighs. “Jason, you know I only have your best interests in mind. All four of you.”

 _Four of me_?

“He means you, Tahani, Chidi, and Eleanor,” Janet pipes up from the reception desk without looking up from her computer. Jason beams at her. She’s cool.

Mr. Michael keeps talking. “I know it seems like literal torture, living on that floor – the heating’s always busted, the sinks start leaking, your mail gets messed up – and Shawn is not the most charitable of landlords, but I do want you guys to have a good time living here.”

“Aw, thanks, Mr. Michael,” Jason says. He thinks of his neighbors, and how Eleanor comes over after her job with a six-pack, how Chidi always lends him spare change, and how Tahani laughs when he cracks jokes. He does kinda think they like it here, and Jason does too, even with all the problems. He looks at Mr. Michael very seriously. “We want you to have a good time here, too.”

He thinks Mr. Michael cracks a smile at that.

* * *

 

Tahani insists that the four of them go out to dinner. She’d pooh-poohed about _neighbor camaraderie_ and all that, but Eleanor knows it’s just too piss-cold in any of their apartments to cook. But still, Tahani doesn’t do so much as complain when Jason insists on a diner a couple of blocks away that serves great burgers and even greater fries for dirt-cheap, so Eleanor considers it a win.

“How’s your outreach program going, Tahani?” Chidi asks when they’ve all been seated, four Guinness Classic Cheeseburgers, two greasy piles of fries (Jason and Eleanor), one miserable-looking salad (Tahani), and some chips (Chidi) spread out on the table between them.

“Oh, it’s so kind of you to ask about my involvement with UNICEF’s education program here in the city!” Tahani pitches her voice just a bit louder, even though the only other people in the diner are an elderly couple and some disinterested-looking teenagers with headphones on. Eleanor tries not to roll her eyes, and swipes some of Chidi’s chips. She knows it’s the only reason Tahani’s renting an apartment in Brooklyn and not on the Upper West Side is that the lead philanthropist getting an apartment that costs just about as much as the average rent in the area is good for PR, or something. She blinks, realizes Tahani’s still talking, and turns her attention back to the table, pasting a smile on her face.

“–And that’s how I got Robert Downey Jr. to jump out of a cake in _full_ costume for the school’s opening ceremony – the children _loved_ it,” Tahani finishes grandiosely, shrugging off polite compliments from Chidi. She cuts up her burger with a knife and uses a fork to put the pieces in her mouth. Eleanor hates her, just a little. Not too much.

“One time me and Pillboi entered a Marvel convention as Batman and Robin, and we were the bomb,” Jason interjects, puffing out his chest a bit.

Eleanor might hate him a bit too. She raises an eyebrow at him, pointedly taking a bite of her burger.

Chidi, by this point, is similarly nonplussed. “By enter, do you mean – legally, with a ticket, or–”

Jason makes a face at him. “Through the air vents, duh. And by we were the bomb, I mean, we had a bomb.”

Yeah, she’s not even gonna press that one.

* * *

 

Janet calls Chidi to inform them that it’ll be another hour before the heating is fixed and Michael is very, very sorry, so Eleanor suggests going to a café a few blocks away from the diner to get dessert and warm up. The others agree. Tahani and Jason walk ahead, Jason eagerly talking her ear off and Tahani obviously trying not to smile at it. The lamplights cast their long shadows onto the snowy sidewalks, like some sort of picturesque, banal East Coast wintry postcard.

Chidi hangs behind to walk in step with Eleanor, and she tries not to read too much into it. “Look at you, suggesting group activities,” he teases, smiling down at her.

She raises an eyebrow and chalks up the flush in her cheeks to cold. “Come on, dude. We’re probably the only floormates in Brooklyn who go out to _dinner_. Go big or go home, right? Besides,” she says, sobering. “We won’t be together forever. I mean, between Tahani’s UNICEF whatever, Jason’s housesitting, your visiting scholar position…it’s just nice.”

“You’ll miss us,” Chidi prods.

Eleanor looks at him, grinning at her in the cold night, feels that stupid surge of _feeling_ , and groans. “Yeah, I’ll miss you nerds when you all leave me here in Brooklyn with my crappy sales job. Really.” She crosses her arms defensively, curdling her nose up at the sentiment. “Sorry to get sappy. Ugh.”

“Sappy, huh.” Chidi knocks their shoulders together. “But hey – we got each other for now. It’s not half bad, right?”

Eleanor smirks and doesn’t answer his question, instead bending over and scooping snow into a snowball. She expertly tosses it at Tahani’s fluff-covered back and snorts when Tahani lets out a very unladylike screech, turning to look at them.

“ _Eleanor_!” she scolds, but there’s no real heat behind it. She’s _smiling_.

“Snowball fight!” Jason yells, mirroring her action and tossing his own ball at Chidi, who yelps and dodges it. Instead it hits Eleanor right in the shoulder, and a laugh bubbles out of her against her will.

“You’re dead to me, Mendoza!” she calls, making another ball. Tahani laughs, the sound echoing in the cold air, and Chidi tries to mediate the fight but gives up when Eleanor hits him with a snowball instead.

They do make it to the café, a little damp from the snow and sweaty from the exertion. Chidi takes five minutes to decide on his drink, Tahani loudly proclaims how Amal Alamuddin once gave her coffee tips in some posh Turkish coffee shop, and Jason pronounces _crème brulee_ the way it’s spelled, but Eleanor finds that she doesn’t mind.

She kind of loves her stupid neighbors, just a little.


End file.
